Shuriken Practice
by Aurah
Summary: [Post Timeskip][Oneshot][Sasukecentric] In the end, Uchiha Itachi always keeps his promises.


**Shuriken Practice**

-

According to Webster's Dictionary of All Things Ninja, a shuriken is a flat, four-pointed piece of metal sharpened on all sides. It can be found in various sizes, often with a hole in the center for the tying of wire, the placing of a finger or hand, or a multitude of other uses. However, the "shurikens" currently flying through the glade could only be considered such by the words of Webster's Dictionary of All Things Ninja.

In truth, they were small pieces of hatred made tangible, the visible sparks of rage flying between two pairs of crimson eyes. Real shurikens were deadly, but were merely sharpened pieces of steel. These throwing stars were far less pure, tainted by the emotions of their wielders. Had the blasted, barren ground they occupied ever been hallowed, it wasn't any longer, so great was the number of corrupted weapons. Yet, even more stained were the souls of the two men that had thrown them, eyeing one another coldly from opposite sides of the shredded earth.

"Damn you…!" Sasuke hissed and spat blood, wincing nearly imperceptibly as he glimpsed more blood leaking from beneath the multitude of shurikens embedded in his badly sprained left arm. His elder brother's only reply was a miniscule smirk, barely visible from beneath his tattered black collar. The younger boy snarled quietly, knowing that beneath the impassive surface, Itachi was laughing his ass off at Sasuke's "futile" attempts on the older man's life.

But despite Itachi's amusement, Sasuke held a certain measure of grim satisfaction at the sight of the blood flowing from his elder brother's left shoulder and opposite leg. Sasuke's injuries might have been more serious, but unlike Itachi's wounds, all were isolated to a single limb. They couldn't hamper his movements - Sasuke had already damaged most of the less vital pain receptors with several swift kunai swipes. Whether the arm would ever regain sensation remained to be seen, but right now, what did it matter? Any lasting effects paled beside the opportunity to kill his brother.

_This ends now. _He thought, glancing down at his rapidly-moving hands to verify that the seals were performed correctly. Sasuke's lips pulled into a hard line in defiance of the still-painful shuriken wounds as he continued his jutsu.

The stray thought struck him as so random that he nearly stopped signing to laugh aloud. …_Shuriken practice._

- - -

A black-clothed figure fell from a tree high in the air, tossing four kunai from each hand as he descended. Coming to a light landing, he opened Sharingan eyes to glimpse a knife embedded in the center of each of the eight targets – including the one in his blind spot.

A small gasp sounded from a child standing off to the side, echoing impossibly loudly in the quiet of the forest. "Brother, you're so good! You even nailed the mark in a blind spot right in the middle!" Filled with awe, the younger boy pulled three of his own kunai from his pocket, eager to show off in front of his elder brother. "Alright. Here I go!" However, he didn't get the chance to throw them before the other man's voice cut him off mid-movement.

"Sasuke, let's head back."

He was disappointed, but knew that argument was pointless. Determined, he decided to try anyway. "You told me that you'd teach me some new shuriken moves!"

It was the same scenario as always – Sasuke would ask his brother for help and the older man would simply postpone it, saying, "Sorry, Sasuke. Maybe next time." Itachi would then flick the little boy's forehead before walking off, leaving Sasuke to scamper after him.

But as many times as practice was promised, it never happened.

- - -

An amused smirk spread across the avenger's handsome face. _I can't believe he chose _now_ to follow through with his promise._

- - -

Haunted by images of collapsed Uchiha police, cracked clan symbols, and visions of strange Sharingan eyes, Sasuke reluctantly allowed his feet to take him to Itachi's room and open the paper door with an agonizing slowness.

" Brother… Today, can we train with shuriken?"

"…I'm busy. It'd be better if you asked Father." It was simply stated, and spoken without emotion. Itachi's monotone did little to dispel Sasuke's lurking fears.

"But you're the best with shuriken…" Somehow, Sasuke managed to prevent his desperation from reaching his voice, "Even a kid like me knows that. You always treat me like a burden."

Itachi waved his younger brother over and flicked him on the forehead. "Forgive me, Sasuke… Another time."

Though the characteristic response helped to relieve some of the crushing pressure in Sasuke's chest, the promise once again remained unkept.

- - -

Abruptly, the hand motions stopped as all of Sasuke's remaining chakra gathered into a single massive, chirping, crackling ball of energy to form the most powerful Chidori in ninja history. _This is it._ Kakashi's student clenched his teeth and charged Itachi faster than even the famed Mangekyou Sharingan was capable of following. The missing-nin stopped mid-seal, frozen by the lightning-swathed fist plunged through his heart. Itachi's bladed pupils met Sasuke's tomoe-flanked ones as the older Uchiha coughed blood, eyes wide in disbelief.

_I finally surpassed you, Itachi. In my own way, without the cursed seal, without allies, without friends… All on my own… I finally surpassed you…_ For the first time since _that day_, a true smile graced Sasuke's features. Despite the shroud of blood, it suited him well. It was a shame that the former Konoha ninja wouldn't live long enough to show it to Sakura.

The last two members of the once-mighty Uchiha clan collapsed together, both liberally drenched with crimson. The family resemblance would have been painfully apparent if their expressions hadn't been so very different – one died with a sincere smile, the other with a grimace of shock and agony.

It was in this position that they were found only eight hours later, when Konoha ANBU Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura stumbled across their corpses on their return from their latest mission.

Seeing the brothers, they immediately knew what had happened. So, too, did Tsunade, who ordered Sasuke buried as a hero in the Uchiha clan burial grounds beside his parents, but demanded Itachi entombed in a sparsely-marked grave with little ceremony, as befitted a traitor. But despite Konoha's comprehension of Sasuke's fulfilled oath of vengeance, they would never know of his brother's oath, made so many years ago in a house that had once been filled with light and life. They would never know that in the end, despite anything and everything else, Uchiha Itachi always kept his promises.

For in their final moments, the same memory had flitted through the dimming minds of both siblings.

"_Brother… Today, can we train with shurikens?"_

"_Forgive me, Sasuke. Perhaps another time."_

The village of Konoha would never know that Uchiha Itachi had finally fulfilled his promise of shuriken practice.

-

**End Shuriken Practice**

What did you think? For my first Naruto fanfic, I think it came out okay. I hope _you_ all liked it at least!

-Aurah

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!!**


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